Editorial | Cleaning the House

Kentucky House Speaker Greg Stumbo's belated move to investigate the behavior of Rep. John Arnold, a Western Kentucky Democrat, for alleged sexual harassment of female staff members, fails to address the deeper questions at the root of this unfolding scandal.

What did leaders among Democrats who control the House know about the allegations against Mr. Arnold that date back at least four years? When did they learn about the allegations? Who knew about them? And what did they do about them?

Not much, according to the complaints of three female staff members at the Legislative Research Commission. They allege little to nothing was done to address their repeated complaints that Mr. Arnold grabbed, rubbed or stroked them, made lewd remarks, and despite orders to stay away from them, showed up to smoke in their work area or take naps on the couch.

While the move by Mr. Stumbo, a Prestonsburg Democrat, could lead to the censure of Mr. Arnold or his expulsion from the House, it does nothing to examine how the House and LRC officials handled this case and why it dragged on so long. Nor does it offer a way to develop a policy to effectively manage future allegations.

Senate President Robert Stivers, a Manchester Republican, is absolutely correct when he observes an investigation of Mr. Arnold "does not resolve the most significant problem which is how to address the culture that has been exposed" - a culture Mr. Stivers said he only learned about last week after the women's complaints became public.

The only way to get to the heart of the allegations and restore public trust is for an outside, impartial investigation and recommendations on how to prevent any more such shameful situations.

Anything else is just too little, too late.

Louisville, Kentucky • Southern Indiana

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Editorial | Cleaning the House

Kentucky House Speaker Greg Stumbo's belated move to investigate the behavior of Rep. John Arnold, a Western Kentucky Democrat, for alleged sexual harassment of female staff members, fails to address